Google Says Its "ALARMING" That Governments Are Asking It To Censor The Internet

Monday, June 18, 2012 - 3:43pm by News Desk 2

In a twice a year Transparency Report, Google reported that it received more than 1,000 requests from government authorities and others, to remove a record breaking amount of information, data, search results and YouTube content from search listings and from its related content providers like YouTube.

Requests have come from courts, police, government agencies and citizens from Canada, the U.S., Spain, Germany, and several more "free" countries that officially say they are against censorship.

Of the more than 12,000 items requested to be removed, Google has said that it removed around 65 percent of court orders and 47 percent of informal requests to remove content noting that according to various laws, some content it illegal such as Nazi propoganda n Germany, videos of Thailand's monarch that show a toilet seat over his head which is illegal and deemed insulting by Thailand's "lese- majeste" laws.

In Canada, a video shows a man urinating on his Canadian passport then flushing it down the toilet. Canadian government officials demanded that Google remove the video from YouTube, but Google refused saying no laws were broken in Canada.

The rate at which requests have been made to have Google remove content is growing annually, already 25% more this year than all of last year.

Google has refused numerous court orders to remove content also, arguing that they do not own the content, the person who made the video or uploaded it owns it under its terms of use agreements and most international laws. Citing the rapid growth of requests, Google said in its report it was "alarming" at the rate those request are growing, many of which it says seem to be personal grievances by someone in a position of trust, such as government authorities.